Jon Dahl Tomasson

Jon Dahl Tomasson (born August 29, 1976) is a Denmark professional football (soccer), who plays for Spain side Villarreal CF in the Spanish La Liga championship. Playing either as a striker or an attacking midfielder, Tomasson is known for his positional strength and fine finishing. His most notable run of football came in his years at Netherlands club Feyenoord Rotterdam, with whom he won the 2002 UEFA Cup, and Italy club A.C. Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League. He was given the 2002 Danish Football Player of the Year award.

He has scored 46 goals in more than 80 matches for the Denmark national football team, making him the Denmark national football team statistics Top goalscorers in Danish national team history. He represented Denmark in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals, as well as in two UEFA European Football Championship tournaments.

Playing career

Born in Copenhagen, Tomasson first started playing football as a five year-old in the youth team of Solrød BK near Køge. At nine years of age, he moved to the biggest club in the area; Køge BK. He made his senior debut for the club in 1992, and helped the club move from the lower league Denmark Series to the Danish 2nd Division; from the fifth to the third tier of Football in Denmark. He was considered a great talent in Danish football, as he played for various Danish youth national teams. He scored 10 goals in 16 games for the national under-19 team, and was awarded 1994 Danish Football Association Young Players of the Year. In all, he scored 27 goals in 37 matches for various national youth selections.

Early career

In December 1994, aged 18, he moved to the Netherlands, when he signed his first professional contract with the Dutch club SC Heerenveen in the top-flight Eredivisie championship. A first-team regular by the Eredivisie 1995/1996, Tomasson was the club top scorer for the season as well, netting 14 goals in 30 league matches. He increased this tally in the Eredivisie 1996/1997 to 18, and was top-scorer for the club once again. The two good seasons with Heerenveen resulted in Tomasson getting a call-up to the Denmark national team, and he made his debut on March 29, 1997, against Croatian national football team.

His success attracted the interest of other clubs, and he completed a high profile move to the English FA Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. in 1997. At Newcastle, Tomasson was moved from his attacking midfielder position to the role of striker, but his lack of physical strength fell short in the Newcastle strategy of long passes. He was unable to make an impact at the club, scoring only 3 goals in 23 appearances. During his time at Newcastle, reduced playing time saw Tomasson dropped by the Danish national team, and he was not selected to play at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Cup triumph

He returned to the Eredivisie in July 1998, where he joined Feyenoord Rotterdam and once again took the position of attacking midfielder. In the Summer 2002, Tomasson's contract with Feyenoord was expiring, and after their UEFA Cup victory, he agreed a move to Italy on a free transfer (soccer) to play for Serie A club AC Milan. Before moving to AC Milan, he played for Denmark in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where he scored four goals in as many games.

AC Milan

The Serie A 2002-03, Tomasson's first at Milan, saw them winning the Coppa Italia. Tomasson was most often used as a late substitute, but did manage to score three goals in the UEFA Champions League, as AC Milan won the prestigious tournament. In the next season, they then won the Italian Super Cup. Tomasson was given more playing time, as he scored 12 goals in AC Milan's Serie A title winning Serie A 2003-04. Tomasson played for Denmark in the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, where he scored three goals in four games and was selected for the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship UEFA Team of the Tournament.

Struggling to secure a place in AC Milan's starting line-up, he was once again in the role of substitute, and struggled to score goals. He was used as a late substitute in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool FC, which was to be decided in penalty shootout. Tomasson scored on his attempt, but AC Milan lost as Serginho, Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko missed their shots. Tomasson was deemed surplus when striker Christian Vieri joined the club in July 2005. He left Milan to join German side VfB Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga championship.

VfB Stuttgart and Villarreal CF

At Stuttgart, Tomasson joined fellow Danish national team player Jesper Grønkjær for the Fußball-Bundesliga 2005/06, but the season was not successful for either of them. Even though Tomasson managed to create goals by himself, the team struggled to create chances, and the club finished in 9th position. After the season, Grønkjær left the club, while Tomasson was linked with a switch to English club Birmingham City F.C. in the Summer transfer window of 2006. He stayed at Stuttgart, but had to see himself relegated to a place on the substitutes' bench.

On January 24, 2007, Tomasson was loaned to Villarreal CF in the Spanish Primera División championship, to cover the place of the injured striker Nihat Kahveci. When he made his Villarreal debut as a substitute against Real Madrid C.F., Tomasson became only the fifth player to have played in the Premier League, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Primera División.

When his loan contract in Villarreal expired on July 1, 2007 he was part of the reserve team of VfB Stuttgart in the Regionalliga (football). On July 10, 2007 he returned to Villareal.

At 21st August 2007, his agent claims that FC Barcelona wanted Jon Dahl Tommason, they asked him three times, in 1997, 1998 and 2002.

In the first match of La Liga season 2007/08, Jon Dahl scored in Villareal's 0-3 victory against Valencia at Mestalla.

International goals

With 47 goals at the Danish national team Tomasson is second only to Poul "Tist" Nielsen, who has the all-time scoring record with 52 goals.


- (a): Match abandonned

Honours

Domestic
- 1998-99 Eredivisie, with Feyenoord Rotterdam
- 1998-99 Johan Cruijff-schaal, with Feyenoord Rotterdam
- 2002-03 Coppa Italia, with AC Milan
- 2003-04 Serie A, with AC Milan
- 2003-04 Italian Super Cup, with AC Milan
Continental
- 2001-02 UEFA Cup, with Feyenoord Rotterdam
- 2002-03 UEFA Champions League, with AC Milan
Awards
- 1994 Danish Football Association Young Players of the Year
- Danish Player of the Year : 2002 and 2004